Self Directide Learning Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Self Directide Learning - Term Paper Example In the period of 1960s, increased concentration was focused on the reason and ways behind the learning of adults. The notion of SDL was stated to arise during this specific period of time. It requires to be stated in this context that this particular notion was traced back to the period of 1961. It was during this year when the typology related to goal, compass readings related to the activity as well as learning within the adults were structured by Houle (1961). The purposes and activities related to learning with regard to numerous adult learners was delineated by Houle (1961) who had selected to chase their respective process of learning without the need and requirement of institutional encouragement with respect to affiliation. This particular aspect called for the attention of further assessment during that particular time period. During the period of 1980s, Knowles (1980) re-narrated the development of SDL with the suggestion of an idea called â€Å"andragogy† which was widely referred as the ability and science related to assisting adults for learning. This particular notion was considered in comparison to all the prevalent theories related to learning during that definite phase of time and which were supposed to be reliant on the facet of pedagogy. Pedagogy referred to the science as well as the art related to providing assistance to the child learners. This was again considered to be dependent on five basic suppositions regarding the adult learner. The initial supposition stated that the self-concept with regard to an adult was observed to shift from the perception related to dependent personality towards a self-directing individual with maturity. The other... This paper approves that an individual concerned with the process of SDL was found to indulge alone in that activity, but from the explanation of the concept in the literature, it has been found that individuals seldom indulge themselves in the process alone. The other paradox has been stated regarding the process of SDL referring it to be something that was usually carried out remotely from the formally structured activities which was found to be guided by other individuals. The process related to SDL was not regarded as a lone act which was capable of carrying out alone by any individual. The foremost scholars with regard to this particular subject comply with the fact of SDL being a relational activity or behavior but the relevant literature was considered to be heavily inclined towards the fact of SDL being an individualized behavior. This paper makes a conclusion that the above discussion helps in providing a lucid comprehension regarding the concept of SDL and adult learning. It has been mentioned with regard to this notion that majority of the activities related to learning is believed to be triggered and promoted with the help of a learner’s inventiveness irrespective of its availability with the aid of formal settings. Furthermore, the concept of SDL was found to be perceived as a particular structure of study where individuals are supposed to possess the principal responsibilities with regard to planning, practicing and also assessing the endeavors related to adoption of the skills associated with learning. Certain paradoxes as well as contradictions were however identified in this regard, but the degree of significance and viability of SDL still cannot be completely refused.

Virginia Business Lawsuit Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Virginia Business Lawsuit - Term Paper Example This would lead to the endangerment of their lives and would also inconvenience them in their shopping. The plaintiffs complained of there parking spaces being built on slopes and that the curb ramps were built on excessively steep grades. They also complained of the mall having improper access point to the buildings making access to the building for the disabled difficult. The malls also lacked handrails to assist the disabled in their movements into the mall. This made it to be increasing difficult for the disabled customers to navigate efficiently in the malls. The restrooms had toilet facilities that were unsuitable for the disabled customers since, they did not have the required specifications to accommodate the disabled. All this factors led to the disabled taking action against the mall for discrimination and ignorance on the needs of the disabled. The lawsuit involved the major malls located in the region. They included â€Å"Crossroads mall, Valley View Mall, Tanglewood Mal l, Towne Square Shopping Center, Lake Drive Plaza and Spartan Square Shopping Center† (Hammock, 2012). The lawsuit was forwarded on behalf of the plaintiffs by the national alliance for accessibility. The group cited the lawsuit was because of the gross violations by the malls on the Americans with Disabilities Act. The act was created to protect the rights of the disabled by ensuring they can access public places. The act has litigation that governs the environment that is needed to make certain that this admission is realized. The lawsuit also included other public institutions. These institutions comprised of two motels and a university (Hammock, 2012). The management of the malls had not put the interests of the disabled high on their agenda. They seemed to have forgotten about the special needs of the disabled segment of the clientele. This neglect led to the lawsuits that not only discredited malls, but also suffered financial consequences for the violations. It is essen tial for the management to ensure that their companies or organizations follow the rule of law. This is by ensuring that the set requirements for the business are met to avoid legal consequences. In the case of the disability lawsuit, the managers of the malls mentioned in the lawsuit could have avoided this whole scenario if they complied with the law. The managers of the malls and the other mentioned institutions should have carried out a risk assessment. This is in order to know what risks the customers and employees face, in the mall environment. This would have enabled the management to categorize the issues that need to be rectified and the matters that need to be addressed. This risk assessment would have enabled the management to be conscious of the predicament of the disabled and correct them before they became a legal matter. The risk assessments are inclusive since the views of customers and employees are collected. If the risk assessment would have been carried out, the management would have become aware of the plight of the disabled customers. This would have made it possible for them to rectify the problem avoiding lawsuits that would rise from the issue. This would have saved the company legal fees and settlement payments. The risk assessment would also have been helpful in that other problems that the management was not aware of would be brought to light

Heroes Essay Example for Free

Heroes Essay Basically, heroes have a vision for society and their principles function as a catalyst that motivates the society. In addition to having ideas, heroes are brave. Unlike other people they have tremendous energy and patience to struggle with the adversity. Most people settle for the status quo because in reality they dont want to put themselves in danger or risk themselves for others. Heroes are brave enough to take risk for people and society and they never try to escape from hardship. In an article Heroism Must Mean More Than Sympathy, Nicholas Thompson (2002) writes, Heroes could earn that title simply for incredible acts of ravery several steps above the call of duty. He states that heroes do more than there is their duty. Most people simply perform their duty and focus on themselves for their own betterment. Heroes are remarkably brave in comparison to people in general. They genuinely make effort to protect right of society and people. For example, Amar Singh Thapa, a General of army in Nepal during British colonization in India and many other countries of Asia proved his bravery. At the time of British colonization in Asia, British army attacked the territory of Nepalese land. General Amar Singh Thapa fought against powerful British troop. In spite of lack of food for few days he continued war. At last British Army could not fight in such a hardship and Amar Singh won war against British. General Thapa protected country from British colony and saved Nepalese sovereignty and land. All Nepalese are proud of his bravery and his bravery is an exemplary in Nepal. For his bravery Nepalese admire to call him national hero of bravery. In other words, heroes act bravely in order to protect society and people by taking undesirable risk in their life. Finally, heroes have special skill and talent. Their skill and talent is enables them change the society in forward direction. Their creation and innovation are noteworthy. A person becomes hero because of his or her potential skill and talent to work for society (Brown, 1990; Psychology Today, 1995). Heroes have extraordinary skill and talent, which attract society and helps the society a great deal. For an example, Bill Gate has special talent and skill in development of computer software. Before Bill Gate developed software, computers were barely in use in public. The application of his software in the operating system in computers brought a big change in todays world. People admire such a skilled and talented person who brought a total change in this world. His outstanding talent and skill in software is praiseworthy. Mostly people emulate other’s work and learn from others. Since heroes posses special skill and talent, they are naturally creative and innovative. New inventions and creative thinking always attract a community if it can help society to move in right direction efficiently. For such promising work, they deserve to be called a hero. Heroes always help society and individuals to change and are a role model in society. Over all heroes have some characteristics in common that influence society and individuals. They live in heart and mind of people because of their extraordinary principles, bravery, skill and talent. References Browne, R. (1990). Heroes and Heroines. Detroit: Gale Research Inc. How to be great? What it takes to be a hero? (1995, November-December). Psychology Today,28, 46. Thompson, N. (2002, January 15). Heroism must mean more than sympathy. The Oregonian. Tollefson, T. (1993, May-June). Is a hero really nothing but a sandwich? Utne Reader.

LOréal Internal and External Influences

LOrà ©al Internal and External Influences The beauty industry has always been on a rapid move either it being the consumers or the competitors whereby on stake lies millions of dollars to be griped on by the producers of the beauty products. LOreal being the worlds largest beauty firm employing around 50,000 employees worldwide and revenues worth 17.47 billion dollars in 2009. LOreal has created an international brand portfolio for consumers with wide range of incomes and tastes in 140 countries and we know that LOreal has certainly occupied a unique position in the fast pace global beauty environment. The road to success was difficult as a lot of barriers had to be overcome and LOreal manage to that as well as winning the hearts of millions of consumers and therefore being the King in the Industry. (B).THE INTERNAL EXTERNAL INFLUENCES ON LOREAL (B.1). INTERNAL INFLUENCES Mission and Vision LOreal operates with a distinctive global vision and market approach that have all been oriented to the fast growing global personal care market whereby their core values always have lied in integrity, responsibility and respect for the people and environment and thus satisfying and empowering the consumers further and thus allowing them to become a leader in Corporate Consumer Responsibility. Goals and objectives LOreal goals and objectives have always made them outstanding in the rest in the market as it always focused its strategy on achieving internal growth which was largely influenced by the ideas of acquisitions either it being strategic or tactical it has clearly lead to the overall growth of the business. Organisation Structure- LOreal has had a unique matrix structure as a result of this it has lead to effective communication throughout the whole organisation as well as developing effective market strategies and new product ideas. The matrix structure improved coordination with the rest of the departments in the organisation as well as on shared technologies and allowed information to move easily and feedback. Employees This has been a major influence on the organisations success as all employees are treated as assets in the company and all most all the employees have developed trusting relationships with their jobs as a result better working relations. Decision making- Decision making tends to be decentralized in the organisation thus allowing faster decisions to be made. Fast and flexible decision making willing to take risks has led them implore onto new opportunities in the market. Culture- LOreal has been built on strong values which have shaped culture and have guided the organisation throughout the life of the company whereby customer culture has always been emphasized as product safety and quality is paramount at all times and so becoming the leading beauty company .LOreal culture tends to cover all aspects of beauty for all consumers. The customer oriented culture has thus allowed LOreal to distinguish itself from competitors like PG. Research and Development- LOreal invested merely around à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬581 billion in 2008 as per (LOreal .com) so as to promote sustainable innovation and safer to products to its consumers. (B.2). EXTERNAL INFLUNCES Demographics- The demographic shifts really influence a companys products with the recent trends whereby ageing population in the western hemisphere, aspiring consumers in emerging markets and other trends all this but LOreal responded to this trends better than its rivals and as a reason to this being the only cosmetic group present in every distribution channel . Competition- Rivals such as Procter Gamble (PG) , Estee Lauder and Unilever have always had a fierce and cut-throat competition in the industry and as per Corbett (2004) who said that competition brings out the best in organisations and it certainly did with LOreal grabbing the most opportunities and winning over consumers hearts with new and innovative products. Political- Government rules and regulations always come into the picture and tend to change bring about a lot of changes and as well as in the 1970s where the French government wanted to control Frances top companies and because of this Gesparal was formed as holding company otherwise LOreal could have add problems because sometimes state run companies are lack inefficiency as well as innovation. Because of LOreal being a globalized company laws, rules , legislation and business practises vary in different countries and so LOreal faces the problem to try to adopt to various governmental rules in order for it to be favourable for the organisation Customer Tastes and Preferences Customers are seen as ever changing until they find one product which they prefer and become royal to the same applies in the beauty industry where consumers will jockey between brands but having notices all these LOreal designed products that meted every specific groups needs and wants as well s meeting up with the increasing demand of beauty of products in this decade and simply outsmarting its rivals. Social Influences- With the new trends and urban flairs changing around lifestyle plays a key role as well as the question of only celebrities are used in advertisements and so cannot relate to an ordinary woman in society keeps on posing s serious question. Economic- Cosmetics are normally considered as a luxury product well during times of a dismal economy LOreal could face the problem of lack of consumer demand and so try to look into other countries plans and policies to try lifted the country out of recession. Technological Business operates in a world of rapid technology and so LOreal has to keep up with the pace otherwise could lose its market position. Advances in technological methods has had a positive intake from the companies as it allows them to reduce product obsoleteness and so advances in production methods have created products with longer life spans.eg the creation of the express finish fast dry nail enamel really became popular having huge amounts of sale everywhere Globalization Has been the major driving factor to many of the external influences as it has allowed the spreading of production, communication and technologies. (C).HOW GLOBALISATION INFLUENCES POLICIES AND DECISION MAKING IN LOREAL The world we live in is a different place from what it was 30 years or 40 years ago this is simply been because of what writers like to call an invisible earthquake i.e. Globalisation. Therefore we are living in a world of increasing instantaneity and every individual is influenced by globalisation so what to speak about organisations especially like LOreal. Globalisation is the spread and connectedness of production, communication and technologies across the world that spread has involved the interlocking of economic and cultural activity. According to Held and McGrew (2007) globalisation is seen as a stretching of social, political and economic activities across political frontiers and therefore all this factors have to be included in the policies and decision making of LOreal. One major influence that would always change their decision making was going to be how LOreal would cope- up with the new markets and new customers as well as reflecting upon wide variations between countries and cultures in their concepts of beauty and levels of personal hygiene had to be really considered because as per Peppers and Rogers (2004) said that every customer is different in a market and therefore each customer needs and wants will differ and so LOreal had to adjust themselves and try meeting those needs if not they could end up losing out customers to their rivals. Therefore LOreal was trying to make sure that global plans are compatible with the rest of the markets across the world. Over the years a centralized decision making was supported but at the speed globalisation was going to decision making certainly had to become decentralized so as to allow faster decision to be made as well as to reduce the levels of authority because all organisations were going to function in a very pacing environment and if decisions took longer to make it could pose severe problems in the future Pathak (2005) also favoured the point that a decentralized decision system could also be the key to success in a globalised economy. Globalisation brings in new aspects of managing human capital and treating human capital as assets is the key to success as well therefore LOreal had changed their policies towards employees and not only that they tried developing employees skills and tests on a level not only of being profitable but creating successful business for the long term. Cherunilam (2007) said that technology has been the major driving force to globalisation and therefore once a technology is developed it soon becomes available everywhere in the world integrating this main function into the decision making process is crucial. The aspect of growing use of internet had to be considered and therefore after the growth in technology and users of internet LOreal had to change policies and start to create online stores where it was not a must for the customers to physically come to the store to purchase goods it could be done anywhere and so technology had to be encompassed in the decision making process. Globalisation is bound to bring in new international rules and regulations. LOreal decision to move into international markets tended to be really cautious to acquire new assets amidst and industry wide consolidation then underway in the world beauty industry. Because of this new rules and regulations it could take a long time before mergers and acquisitions could be finalized i.e. the acquisition of Kiehls took 3 years to finalise because it was under courtship therefore LOreal have to consider all the political laws and judicial precedents . Because of the emergence of the global village according to Griffiths (2008) it is the duty of every organisation to be a good corporate citizen and so he went on to outline the importances of any organisation to become a good corporate citizen and to take upon corporate social responsibility as its a growing importance to any organisation and if not practised by the organisation could lead to reduction in profits as well as customers therefore globalisation changes how an organisations aligns their values and behaviours with the expectations and needs of the stakeholders and therefore policies are certain to change because LOreal had to also be called accountable for their impact of activities on the society and the environment. Globalisation meant that social changes and lifestyles also had to be integrated in the decision making process i.e. The way stores were designed had to simply change and therefore new store designs were put into place and try to forge links either with the local community and so to be relevant to the customers. Increasing competition within the beauty industries is certainly going to bring out the best of all companies and therefore according to Lindstedt and Burenius (2003) the first step towards a profitable business is intelligent market segmentation, targeting and positioning. Increasing globalisation together with customer demands had to be watched carefully and careful segmentation and targeting had to be carried out so as to understand consumers needs if LOreal were to win over the hearts of customers therefore globalisation certainly placed major influences on policies and decision making in terms of how marketing would be carried out because LOreal was not only dealing with the French population it was dealing with over billions of people all around the world with different needs and desires thus LOreal would have to take markets and divide them into narrower and narrower segments .Although sustaining brand positioning was going to pose a difficult challenge but LOreal were up for the task that awaited them. Organisations have to change from a profit oriented culture to customer oriented culture if they wanted to succeed in a globalized village. Long term planning is not the goal with the pressures of globalisation therefore LOreal will have to move away from a traditional approach of long term planning i.e. for 10 years what has been to done is making plans so as to adopt or respond to the environmental changes as soon as possible i.e. coming up with new strategies have to worked out. (D). THE EFFECTIVENESS OF LOREALS RESPONSE LOreal dint have an accessibly priced genuinely popular brand with a global potential which it could start selling to the rest of the world and that posed a problem and so we will now discuss how effective LOreal was in its response to Globalisation. And therefore LOreal set out to have a portfolio of products which was attractively priced proposition not just to fill the hole in any country but so as t go around the whole world and in all new markets. Marketing was going to be a key role in the globalisation process and so it did play its role LOreal started identifying areas on improvement and in marketing nothing more is important than informing your customers about your products and services as per Lee and Johnson (2005) and so LOreal started spending huge amounts on advertising e.g. after the acquisition of Maybelline which was having a few problems in that customers would saw Maybelline was something their mothers wore and so LOreal clearly applied their expertise and technology to improve Maybellines products , its marketing and it spent around $70 million in advertising as well as it had to change the tagline of the products. According to White (2007) a tagline plays an important persuasive role in a campaign and therefore LOreal shifted its tagline to because youre worth it and after the changes to the acquisition it gave LOreal the passport to enter even new markets. As a result of this LOreal established a reputation for quality among US products and was able to sell products for a higher price than its competitors. LOreal started with having an organisational structure, marketing strategy and culture well oriented to the fast growing global personal care market. The marketing campaigns were always successful for LOreal as they used high profile celebrities in its ad campaigns and thus able to enhance global image. According to Yang (2005) said that the selection of an appropriate channel of distribution is very important because of the association that is created between the image of the channel and that of the brand. And so LOreal improved on their distribution channels as they were going to reach out to more consumers then ever and therefore the concept of selling beauty through several channels of distribution was very carefully watched as it corresponded to economic levels as well as psychographic .And therefore it was a able to create a strong presence in every distribution channel of each division Consolidation is an important competitive strategy in the beauty industry and for LOreal to become a leader it would have to be the leader in the American beauty industry and so acquisition became an internal growth strategy that will help LOreal to expand product portfolio and revenues because being big in States meant you are big worldwide and so the over the years LOreal went onto purchase many of the big names in the American market so at to be a leader and added its magical touches on all of them so as to become a global leader the major companies LOreal bought in USA were Redken and as a result of purchasing Redken it gave them the ability to implement strategy of acquiring US brands to complement European brands also the purchase of Maybelline allowed LOreal to obtain 17% of share of the $2.3 billion U.S. mass cosmetics industry. Frensch (2007) said that acquisitions aimed to extend product lines are more likely to lead to synergies and that swat exactly was happening as LOrea l was able to cut production costs down rapidly. As well as to that the acquisition of the top two US ethnic hair care manufacturers Soft Sheen and Carson allowed LOreal to obtain 20% of the fragmented ethnic hair care market. The other major response was the acquisition of Kiehls and Matrix. Matrix was the leading US hair care brand in the professional market while Kiehls acquisition tended to strengthen LOreals position in the speciality store high end segment of the business where LOreal had not been an important player.Helena Rubinstein and Ralph Lauren Fragrances and Cosmair allowed them to fill up the portfolio of products as well. And that Lancà ´me and Garnier which were purchased in 1964 also had a major role in the globalisation process as sales from Europe came from Lancà ´me and Garnier. For a firm to prevail in the market an edge over rivals must be sustained as well as a customer orientation for manufacturing organisations according to Prasad (2009) and because of this LOreal had a strong commitment to Research and development that many consider still consider still to be the firms most distinctive values and advantage over its rivals. LOreal spent $600 million in the year in 2003 which allowed them to later on reduce costs of products and creation of new products like the most famous being the Garnier Fructis Shampoo. And that LOreal has a portfolio of more than 20,000 international patents. LOreal certainly had many strategies under their sleeves they tended to rebrand many of the products that were not performing well and the rebranding lead to increase in sales and increase n customers e.g. Rebranding Maybelline New York grew up sales by 93% as well as dropping a few brands but mainly was that LOreal was acquire new brands and developing those brands effectively. Helena was reintroduced in the market as a more up scaling product and that lead to increase in sales. After considering the competition LOreal tended to establish international brand management teams which were responsible for creating new products and developing market positions and strategies. Technology was embedded as an advantage and LOreal started setting up online stores and so customers could purchase any product any time thus convenient to them. As per Griffiths (2008) who said that every organisation must be a good corporate citizen and so did LOreal adopt to the Corporate Social responsibility approach really positively and one of its acquisitions i.e. Kiehls mission was very much CSR oriented whereby it was making profit as to improve the quality of the community to which it is committed. As result of the major acquisition by 2004 LOreal was enjoying its 19th consecutive year of double digit growth and also recorded over 18 global brands which have helped to strengthen customer brand loyalty. (E). AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT IN LOREALS RESPONSE LOreal being the leader in the beauty industry is always at risk of competition and therefore to still stay ahead of competition areas of improvement still have to be undertaken a few areas are going to be discussed. Strong competition from major rivals that include Proctor and Gamble ( P G) as well as Revlon could always strike an attack and therefore LOreal still has to constantly be innovative so as to maintain its market share and knowing that LOreal spends around $600 million in Research and Development as per the case companies such as Toyota although in another industry spends on average 1 million per hour in research and development as per (www.thetruthaboutcars.com) so as to deliver better products and services to its consumers similarly Proctor Gamble are said to invest around $ 5 million a day in research and development according to (www.pg.com) whereby PG believe one of their major reasons of success is the amounts they have spent on RD which have lead to innovations and at the end of the day with increasing sales market share will increase therefore for LOreal to still be a leader in the years to come it will have to invest heavily in Research and development so as to become more a nd more innovative than its rivals and simply stay ahead of the competition. Improvements in areas like Customer Relationship Management are essential because according to Sayer Bruce (2007) who said that customers are always changing and therefore these patterns must be watched carefully, therefore if LOreal will want to sustain its high performance in the beauty industry one way of doing that will be by sharpening knowledge of its customers through a better and efficient company- wide customer relationship management (CRM) management. Therefore they will surely have to become more customer focused because as competition increases business growth can be stunted by customer switching.CRM can be achieved by various ways in LOreal , the firm will have to identify divisions which already have a ideal customer foundation and once it has a fully integrated CRM system the knowledge can be gathered from different channels and segments according to values and behaviours and this will lead to an end to end process from consumer analysis and segmentation to creation , execution and measurement of the success of marketing campaigns. Production costs can still be lowered by LOreal as a result of the benefits it derives from economies of scale as we are told in the case it was able to produce mascaras for 20cents in its huge Little Rock plant and therefore areas in production can still be improved and thus the benefit being passed down to the consumers who will accept it with happiness. Lets not forget the danger the environment is faced with as a result of the risky chemicals components used in production and other areas as well i.e. toxic products which could soon pose a major problem not saying that LOreal is not doing anything at the issue in concern but if LOreal could promote policies on recycling, reducing their energy consumption , using green electricity and certainly reduce the use of volatile solvants so as to have an environmental policy that drives towards innovation. LOreal should also develop a new business strategy that will give them a better competitive advantage against Estee Lauder, PG maybe by going to segment and catering to a further range of ethnic groups and so try to apply a differentiation strategy and be successful Another area that still needs to be closely patched up is regarding its marketing strategy towards males because according to research shows that men are becoming increasingly concerned with their appearance and skin care and so it is an opportunity for LOreal to grip on before its rivals do. (F).CONCLUSION LOreal have been in the beauty industry for a hundred years and their reach to the peak of the mountain was slow and steady and very thoughtful as to be the global leader in the beauty industry problems are bound to show up from time to time and LOreal have been able to take the pressures faced from competition and globalisation aspects and tried to make the best out of them so as to be the King in the beauty industry but even though the journey does not end over here for LOreal as there still lies areas of improvement in the organisation so as to remain the King for the years to come. (G).REFERENCES Brooksbank, R.( 2002) Hot Marketing ,Cool Profits .Australia :Mc-Graw Hill. p.72-73 ,164-166. Cherunilam, F.( 2007) International Business: Text and Cases . 4th edition. New Delhi: Prentice Hall of India . p.21 Corbett , M. E. ( 2004) The Outsourcing Revolution , Kaplan Publishing , p.8 Frensch, F.( 2007) The Social Scale Of Merger and Acquisition :DUV Gabler Edition Wissenschaft.p.45. Goldsmith,M. , Greenberg, C.L., Robertson,A. Hu-Chan , M (2003) Global Leadership: The Next Generation :Pearson Education Prentice Hall. P 11-13, 19, Griffiths, A. (2008) 101 Secrets to Building a Winning Business. Australia: Griffin Press. p.180. Held, D. McGrew, A. (2007)Globalization/Anti-Globalization: Beyond The Great Divide .2nd Edition. Cambridge: Polity Press. p.2. Lee, M. Johnson,C ( 2005)Principles of Advertising : A good Perspective . 2nd edition. Binghamton: Haworth Pres Lindstedt, P. Burenius, J.( 2003) The Value Model: How to Mater Product Development Create Unrivalled Customer Value. Sweden: Bimba. P.134-7. Pathak, J.( 2005) Information Technology Auditing : An evolving Agenda.p.88-90. Peppers,D. Rogers, M. (2004) Managing Customer Relationships: A Strategic Framework. New Jersey: John Wiley Sons, Inc. p.10. Prasad, K .(2009) Strategic Management : Text and Cases. New Delhi. Prentice Hall India. P.188. Ray , L.J. (2007) Globalization and everyday Life .New York :Routledge. P.1 Sayer , J, N. Williams, Bruce ( 2007) Lean for Dummies .Indiana. Wiley Publishing Company. p.28. White, A.W.( 2006) Advertising design and typography .New York: All Worth Press. p . 188. Yang, K.( 2005) Design for Six Sigma for Service :Mc-Graw Hill p.220-222. Web References http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE61E20C20100215 July 24th 2010 http://www.loreal.com/_en/_ww/html/sustainable-development/chairman-and-ceo/our-vision-for-the-future.aspx July 26th 2010 http://www.loreal.com/_en/_ww/html/company/pdf/code_of_ethics_us.pdf July 24th 2010 http://www.loreal.com/_en/_ww/html/sustainable-development/loreals-commitments/research-development.aspx July 24th 2010 http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2002/09/30/329290/index.htm July 26th 2010 http://blogs.saschina.org/christine02px2010/case-study-body-shop-2/ July 24th 2010 http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/does-toyota-really-spend-one-million-dollars-per-hour-on-safety/ August 3rd 2010 http://www.pg.com/jobs/corpinfo/consboss.shtml August 3rd 2010 http://www.loreal.com/_en/_ww/pdf/RDD_2008_SuppliersRelation.pdf July 24th 2010 (H). BIBLIOGRAPHY Bauman, Z. (2000), Globalization: The Human Consequences, Cambridge: Polity Press Gray, J. (2002), False Dawn. The Delusions of Global Capitalism, London: Revised edition , Granta Publications Hutton, W. (2003), The World Were In, Abacus Mittelman J (2001) The Globalization Syndrome: Transformation and Resistance, Princeton: Princeton University Press. Stiglitz, J. (2003), Globalization and Its Discontents, London: Penguin Books Scholte, J. (2005), Globalization: a Critical Introduction, Basingstoke: 2nd edition Palgrave Macmillan

Comparing John Smith’s A Description of New England and William Bradfor

Comparing John Smith’s A Description of New England and William Bradford’s Of Plymouth Plantation When the first American settlement on Roanoke Island was established in 1585 it’s primary force, Sir Walter Raleigh, had no idea that this â€Å"New World† would evolve into one of the most powerful voices in the modern world. But before it developed it would have to shaped by it’s founders from the Western world. Two of the largest voices in America’s early development are John Smith, who with a group of English merchants, hoped to get rich in this new land, and William Bradford, a puritan farmer who was one of the most influential men involved with the Mayflower compact. In their two pieces they both convey America as a place to escape but fail to reach many other similar conclusions on what America was like at this time. In John Smith’s A Description of New England he portrays early American life as a place for great opportunities to start over, live easily, and to turn small fortunes into a great wealth. Smith earned credibility for making these statements by leading many expeditions in America such as Jamestown. An example of Smith attempting to persuade the reader into believing that America was a place for rebirth he stated â€Å"What please could be more than recreate themselves before their own doors.† Smith obviously believes that the potential settlers would find it easy to drastically adjust their lifestyle in this new world. Another common theme in Smith’s piece is that he states America is an easy place to live. â€Å"... is it no pretty sport to pull up two pence, six pence, and twelve pence as fast as you can haul and veer a line?† Smith stated when describing how easy it would be to take in money by being an angler in this ... ...criptions of the new world that is caused by Smith hoping to convince settlers to move to the â€Å"New World† and Bradford describes it as a savage place that only the strong will survive. William Bradford and John Smith’s two pieces both convey America as a place to escape the European world but completely fail to contain congruency on what early America was like in this time period. Sources Bradford, William, Of Plymouth Plantation:1620-1647, ed. by Samuel E. Morison (1952); A Description of New England: or The Observations, and Discoveries, of Captain John Smith (Admiral of that Country), in the North of America, in the year of our Lord, 1614; London, 1616. Reprinted in: Dow, George Francis (1921). Two Centuries of Travel in Essex County Massachusetts: A Collection of Narratives and Observations Made by Travelers 1605-1799. The Perkins Press, Topsfield.

Health Care Provider and Faith Diversity

Health Care Provider and Faith Diversity Grand Canyon University: HLT-310V March 16, 2013 Abstract Health care is a very diverse field. Two patients with the same diagnosis would have very different plans of care due to the underlying conditions and faith or religious practices involved with each patients healing process. This paper will discuss the healing aspect of three religions: Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism and compare them to the healing aspect of Christianity. Also information important to health care worker when caring for patients of these religions will be discussed.Health Care Provider and Faith Diversity Christianity if the largest religion in the world and is based on the teachings of Jesus Christ. Christianity has over two billion followers and there are thirty four thousand different denominations that followers classify themselves under. These include Jehovah Witnesses who believe in one God, Jehovah. They believe illness comes from the mind and body. Illness was pass ed on from Adam because he lost perfection. Jehovah Witnesses seek health care when they are sick but they refuse blood products since it’s prohibited by biblical passages. Winslow, n. d, pg 10-11) Protestants use prayer for communication to God and believe that â€Å"God forgives freely and will save all who accept the gift of Jesus’ death for salvation†. (Winslow, n. d pg 14) Health practices should include improvements on the mind, body and spirit. Protestants do not have specific restrictions when it comes to receiving medical treatments. (Winslow, n. d pg 14-15) Judaism teaches there is a single God and focuses more on actions than on beliefs. Jews use the Torah, a gift from God, as a guide to how one should live their life.Health care workers are seen as instruments of God and are important when caring for the sick. (Winslow, n. d, pg26) Christians believe in one God, but this God contains three elements: God the Father, God the Son and The Holy Spirit. Ch ristians believe that all healing comes from God through the work of Jesus Christ and promise of the Holy Spirit. Prayer is the component used to obtain healing, since all healing is Gods choice, it’s not guaranteed that one will be healed. The Holy Bible is the doctrine that outlines the core beliefs of Christianity. Islam Islam is the second largest religion in the world and is practiced by Muslims.Similar to Christianity, where the belief is in one All-knowing God, â€Å"Islam teaches the one can only find peace by submitting in heart, soul and deed to the Almighty God Allah. † (Winslow, n. d, pg 29). Prayer is a critical component of healing for both religions. Muslims use The Quran as book of guidance for good health and healing, and Christians follow the Holy Bible. Muslims and Christians also share the belief that God has power in everything and is responsible for healing, â€Å"belief in and submission to the will of God is the most essential part of good heal th care. (Stacey, 2008). Muslims believe that their bodies are a trust given to them by God and should be used for the attainment of salvation. Muslims view health care workers as agents of God in healing. Some things for health care worker to consider when caring for a Muslim patient are their strong religious concerns regarding modesty. Most Muslims will not accept health care from provider from the opposite sex. They pray five times a day and may desire to pray bending or kneeling on the floor. (Ehman, 2007).So accommodating them with space and privacy to do so is important and beneficial to their healing process. Muslims may understand their pain to be spiritually enriching and may hesitant to accept pain medication. (Ehman, 2007). Also since most Muslims refrain from eating and drinking from sunrise to sunset during the 30-day month of Ramadan, it’s important for the provider to be aware of this and explore with the patient if this is medically appropriate during hospita lization. Hinduism Hinduism is possibly the world’s oldest religion.Hindus have beliefs in many meanings or purposes in life. â€Å"Loving nature and the importance of living simply and in balance with God and nature is the foundation of Hindu healing. † (Hindu beliefs, n. d) unlike Christians whose foundation for healing is a belief and commitment to God. The four elements earth, air, fire and water represent the elements of mankind which is physical, spiritual, emotional and mental. There is a state of health when these elements are in balance and when even one of them is off balance then illness occurs.Christians use prayer to achieve health and healing while Muslims use meditation as a way of health, and yoga as a way to balance the elements to avoid illness. Christians believe that all healing is the work of God. Hindus believe in Karma, which states that each person reaps what they sow so therefore a person will be healed if they deserve to be healed. Hindus also have respect for healthcare workers. It’s important for provider to be aware that Hindus have religious concerns about modesty and will refuse treatment from the opposite sex. Ehman, 2007). Since they follow vegetarian diet, they will not accept medications that contain animal products. A cultural norm is to use the right hand for â€Å"clean† tasks like eating and the left hand for â€Å"dirty† tasks like using the bathroom. (Ehman, 2007). Providers should be mindful of this when moving a patient in any way. Buddhism Buddhism is the fourth largest religion but is more of a spiritual practice than a religion. A concept central to Buddhism is the Four Nobel Truths that defines the cause and existence of suffering.It is believed that one can eliminate suffering by following the Eightfold Path which consist of â€Å"1) accept the Four Noble Truths, 2) renounce the pleasures of the senses and harbor no ill will toward anyone, 3) do not lie, slander, or abuse anyon e, 4) do not destroy any living creature and take only what is given to you, 5) earn your livelihood in a way that harms no one, 6) prevent evil from arising in you and strive to acquire good qualities, 7) be observant, alert, contemplative, and free of desire and sorrow, and 8) meditate. † (Winslow, n. , pg 21) while Christians believe that surrendering to God will eliminate suffering if He sees fit. Buddhist believe that sickness is a result of laziness in their lifestyle or faith which differs from Christianity which view sickness as punishment from God. Buddhist and Christians use prayer to achieve health but in addition Buddhist also use† meditation, good hygiene, healthy eating, stretching and exercise along with deep breathing† (The Medicine Buddha, n. d) as a path to a health. When caring for a Buddhist patient, healthcare worker should be aware that they value peace and quiet and may request a quiet space in order to meditate. Ehman, 2007). They are vegeta rian and may refuse medications that contain animal products. They value mindful awareness of all experiences of life and may not want to take pain medications that would cloud their awareness. The provider would need to be specific in the discussion about side effects of medications, and also clarify to the patient and family that if a patient is suffering a great deal, a little pain medication may actually help them gain more awareness. In conclusion, this research has given me a lot of insight into how to better care for these types of patients.It also reinforces the importance of being a culturally competent health care worker. Being ill and in the hospital away from what makes one comfortable and secure is very stressful. Gaining a patients trust and confidence that they can be cared for by competent providers ensures a positive experience for the patient and the staff. It would be beneficial for staff to approach either the patient or family and find preferences or specific ne eds the patient requires to have the best experience and receive the highest quality of care possible. References Ehman, J. (2007, April 20). Religious Diversity: Practical Points for Health Care Providers.In Penn Medicine. Retrieved March 15, 2013, from http://www. uphs. upenn. edu/pastoral/resed/diversity_points. html Stacey, A. (2008). Health in Islam (part 2of 4): Quran is a Healing. In The Religion of Islam. Retrieved March 15, 2013, from http://www. islamreligion. com/articles/1891/ The Medicine Buddha and the Philosophy of Healing. (n. d. ). Retrieved March 15, 2013, from http://www. heaven-and-earth-home-remedies. com/medicine-buddha. html Winslow, G. R. (n. d. ). Health care and Religious Beliefs (pp. 4-35). N. p. : Loma Linda University Health Systems. Retrieved March 15, 2013, from lomalindahealth. org

Applying Learning Curve Theory Essay

1. Change table distribution to decrease wait time and increase clientele which entails profitability. Originally, wait time including queue was 11 to 12 minutes. By applying these changes, wait and queue reduce to 9 minutes approximately. Also, a $454 increase of profit is attained. 2. Purchase the Plax Oven instead of keeping the old unreliable manual ovens. By doing so, product availability is increase and the queue time is reduced. Using the old manual ovens, pizza took 15 minutes to cook. Utilizing the Plax Oven takes 4 minutes. 11 minutes are saved and faster service is provided to customers. Profits continue to increase. After the addition of the oven, Mario’s Pizzeria is at $1,653 in profit. Lost sales reduced to $345. 3. Purchase the Menu Point System. This system aids in reducing the queue. Wait staff does not have to walk the order over to Kitchen Staff. Thus, queue time is diminished and profits continue to increase since the utilization wait staff is reduced from a 95% to 80%. 4. Rent Cream Puffs versus opening a new counter for pick up. Renting is a better decision since no additional operating costs would be required. 5. Renting Cream Puffs allows for the capacity of tables to increase; adding 7 tables of 4 and 4 tables of 2. This aids in reducing both wait and queue time. Wait time is at 3.21 minutes and Queue is at 2.71 minutes versus the original 11 to 12 minutes of the entire process. Profits increased to $2,040 while the lost sales came to $690. Analysis of Alternative Process in Effect Mario’s Pizzeria simulation is a tool that aids in understanding how to apply the learning curve theory. The simulation begins by illustrating the current process used at Mario’s Pizzeria and describing the current issues this pizza parlor must address in order avoid a greater loss of profits and loss of customers. The simulation allows for an alternative process to be created and implemented. By creating an alternative process, one can then analyze why one process is more effective and efficient than the other. At the initial start of the simulation, the table utilization is at a 97% and the waiting time is between 11 to 12 minutes. The goal is to reduce the wait time in order to increase customer satisfaction and increase profits. To do so, the first step was to change the table distribution. By simply rearranging the table set up, customers wait time reduced significantly; wait time reduced to 5.36 and the queue to 2.57 minutes for a total of 7.93 minutes. This means that the current process of the table set up simply created an unnecessary bottleneck approach. In order to prevent this, a performance process was changed and created a more effective way of making customers stay. This is sort of change can be used to illustrate how the learning curve theory is applied. According to Chase, Jacobs, and Aquilano (2006), the Learning Curve Theory is based on three assumptions: 1) the amount of time required to complete a given task or unit of a product will be less each time the task is undertaken, 2) the unit time will decrease at a decreasing rate, 3) the reduction in time will follow a predictable pattern. By applying this theory to Mario’s Pizzeria, it is evident that a small change goes a long way. For instance, the utilization for tables decreased from 97% to 95% on tables for four, but in tables for two the utilization was 88.9%. Although customers still walked away, the number of those who left was not as high as the initial number during the first week. Mario’s Pizzeria continued to face issued when the manual oven broke. The wait time for customers was affected because the process slowed down. As a manager, one has to take immediate action to solve the problem at hand through thought process in order to avoid high additional cost to this small business. If the learning curve theory is applied correctly, Mario’s Pizzeria will not be affected dramatically especially since they have dealt with previous wait time issues. The learning curve theory states that the more a task is done several times, the less likely it will be that a similar mistake will occur. In this situation, the metric that continues to be affected is time and the dissatisfaction of a customer having to stand in line for a long time. By not using this type of performance process and to avoid reaching the upper control and upper tolerance limits, the solution was to replace the manual ovens and purchase the Plax Ovens. The Plax Ovens cook more pizzas in fewer minutes than the manual ovens. If the current manual ovens were not replaced, the cooking time will be higher and fewer pizzas would be available, which in turn the queue would not decrease for the customers. Customers will continue to wait for fifteen minutes versus four minutes. Another option that was used in the alternative process was the purchasing of Menu Point Systems. This system will allow for the process time to drop significantly. Although, the cost of the menu system seems high in price, the return of investment is of 125%. This percentage indicates that in the long run the system is worth its price for the pizza parlor. By implementing this Menu Point System, Mario’s Pizza parlor decreased it wait time to 3.76 minutes and the queue to 2.62 minutes. Additionally, the utilization of their wait staff was at 60 to 80 percent. The utilization dropped since the wait staff no longer had to walk the order over to the kitchen staff. A change was made to the queue system. A step was eliminated in the queue section, thus, saving time. By implementing, both the Plax Oven and the Menu Point System a profit of $1, 622 was earned. If this two performances process were not in place, Mario’s pizzeria would be back to step one, waiting time at its upper tolerance and upper control limit. These are two factors that should be avoided at all cost when trying to aim for total quality management in a business. Implementing the Plax Ovens and the Menu Point System, the learning theory curve is in effect. Now, when the order is placed, it goes directly to the kitchen staff, the kitchen staff then process the order through the Plax ovens which are quicker in cooking time. Finally, after all the great implementations and changes made to the pizza parlor, business continues to increase and more decisions were necessary in order to keep the timeliness and customer satisfaction. Mario’s pizzeria rented the business next to the parlor instead of opening a pick up counter. If a pick up counter was chosen as an option, operating cost increase. However, renting Cream Puffs was the best option. Renting the business next door allowed for capacity of tables to increase which in turn increased profit and lessen the overall processing time of a customer. In the end, Mario’s Pizza Parlor profited $2,040 and the grandchild earned the trust of the grandfather.